Team Penske driver Josef Newgarden and Scott Dixon from Chip Ganassi Racing combined to win the last five World Wide Technology Raceway races in NTT INDYCAR SERIES competition. Can anyone stop them in Saturday’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline?
Victory lane at the 1.25-mile oval is reserved for the best. The list of 11 NTT INDYCAR SERIES winners is filled with legends like Paul Tracy, Alex Zanardi, Michael Andretti, Juan Pablo Montoya, Al Unser Jr., Gil de Ferran, Helio Castroneves, Will Power and Takuma Sato joining Newgarden and Dixon as victors.
Can someone new join the winners’ fraternity in Saturday’s 260-lap race airing on USA Network, Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network at 6 p.m. ET?
Favorites
Josef Newgarden (No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet)
With four wins in eight tries, Newgarden has won half of his World Wide Technology Raceway starts. He has also led an astounding 582 laps, including 98 a year ago before a crash following his final pit stop. That ruined Newgarden’s chances of a four-peat. At a similar track at Iowa Speedway, Newgarden has tallied six victories in 16 starts, with finishes last month of third and seventh, respectively. The 122 oval points accumulated for the two-time defending Indianapolis 500 winner rank second among all drivers this season.
Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 DEX Imaging Team Penske Chevrolet)
Between short ovals Iowa Speedway and WWTR, McLaughlin has eight top-five finishes in nine starts. That includes results of fourth, third and fifth, respectively, on the 1.25-mile St. Louis-area track. Last month at Iowa, McLaughlin earned his first career oval victory on July 13 and finished third a day later after earning NTT P1 Award honors for the second 250-lap race. McLaughlin leads all drivers in oval points accumulated this season with 133.
Pato O’Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet)
With 23 oval starts, O’Ward has two wins, seven runner-up finishes and 17 top-five results. The worst finish among five World Wide Technology Raceway appearances is fourth, including three of his five results being a runner-up. He also has a pair of runner-up finishes in three oval starts this season.
Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda)
Dixon snookered the field a year ago, making it to the finish line in at least one less pit stop than everyone else, scoring his second World Wide Technology Raceway victory. He lapped all but two cars that day, netting his third top-five finish in his last five starts around the 1.25-mile oval. With a third-place result in the “500” on May 26 and a pair of fourth-place runs at Iowa Speedway last month, Dixon has accumulated the fourth most oval points this year. But Dixon will have extra work Saturday, as an unauthorized engine change penalty will move him nine positions down the grid from his qualifying spot.
Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet)
Power is a combined 2-for-27 at Iowa Speedway and World Wide Technology Raceway, with one victory at each track. Among that tally is a win July 14 in the Hy-Vee INDYCAR Doubleheader Race Weekend at Iowa. Power also has four consecutive top-10 finishes at the 1.25-mile WWTR, including two third-place finishes in the last three tries. That’s why he’s a favorite despite a 14.33 average finish on ovals this season.
Sleepers
Alexander Rossi (No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet)
A fourth-place finish last year, his first top-five finish at WWTR in the last six tries, has Rossi in the mix for a win Saturday. His 81 oval points accumulated this season has him tied for fifth with Alex Palou and Rinus VeeKay. Rossi has led eight laps in eight tries, which is why he’s listed as a sleeper.
Santino Ferrucci (No. 14 Bommarito Automotive Group Chevrolet)
Ferrucci has two top-10 finishes in four World Wide Technology Raceway starts and completed 907 of 908 possible laps. With Chevrolet power and this car finishing on the podium in 2019, watch out. Ferrucci showed strength at Iowa Speedway by finishing sixth and 11th, respectively, and boasts a sixth-best 8.33 average finishing position in three oval starts this season.
Rinus VeeKay (No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet)
The Ed Carpenter Racing driver has been quietly strong in the three oval events this season with a fifth-best average finishing position of 7.66. On this track, VeeKay has two top-six finishes in five tries and finished 11th last season.
Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda)
Herta has five top-11 finishes in six World Wide Technology Raceway starts. His best race was in 2021 when he led over 100 laps before a drive shaft failed while leading, relegating Herta to an 18th-place finish. He finished sixth last year. Herta also finished 11th and fifth, respectively, in Iowa.
David Malukas (No. 66 AutoNation/Arctic Wolf Honda)
World Wide Technology Raceway is arguably Malukas’ best track. He finished runner-up in 2022 and third last year.